Why is eating healthy so darn expensive?

MassiveDelta

I'm feeding myself, husband and my daughter. We spend between 150-200$ every 2 weeks. My daughter is 17months and VERY picky, so I'm still having to buy some of the baby food. She's tired eating a lot of things but isn't ready to take to it yet. My husband doesn't eat healthy so theres all ranges of food on my list. Yes it al depends on where you live that plays a HUGE part in it. It takes time and pratice to get your grocgery bill down. Take advice given here and google shopping on a budget to get more tips! I'm looking for ways to spend less right now. I'm a stay at home mom so having 1 income is really hard.

you spend that much on 2 adults?

Beautifulsoull

I'm feeding myself, husband and my daughter. We spend between 150-200$ every 2 weeks. My daughter is 17months and VERY picky, so I'm still having to buy some of the baby food. She's tired eating a lot of things but isn't ready to take to it yet. My husband doesn't eat healthy so theres all ranges of food on my list. Yes it al depends on where you live that plays a HUGE part in it. It takes time and pratice to get your grocgery bill down. Take advice given here and google shopping on a budget to get more tips! I'm looking for ways to spend less right now. I'm a stay at home mom so having 1 income is really hard.

you spend that much on 2 adults?

No thats just total. My daughter does eat chicken, pasta and hamburger and some other things I eat, just not the full force. My husband eats ALOT, he doesn't eat just a serving so we go through food a little more. He will eat 3-4 scramble eggs, 2 handfuls of hashbrowns, 4 toast and ketchup for breakfast and hes skinny as a rail.

And my daughter is like her father, eats eats eats but doesn't weight much so a lot money goes into her as well.

olDave

Here's some food for thought...pun intended...lol.

The cost of fresh food is invariably less expensive than processed food when compared pound for pound. For example....compare the price of a pound of potatoes to the cost of a pound of potato chips. There's a big difference!

liittlesparrow

Try buying frozen veggies and fruits, oats, whole grain pasta, things like that. Healthy foods go on sale just like other foods do, just gotta look through the papers. Also, Publix has a lot of Buy One Get One sales, and Aldi is super cheap if you have one in the area

CoachReddy

I spend ~$50 a week on myself only, and eat about 3500 calories of clean food daily.

it's absolutely doable. you just have to be smart about it. I buy bone-in chicken which is way cheaper. I buy things in bulk, cook in bulk, and refrigerate/freeze. I go to Trader Joe's.

Once I cut out most processed stuff, I started saving a ton of money.

Cr01502

What I've been able to find for the Hoover Dam says ~$50 million in the 1930's, today that's roughly $690 million. The entire Boulder Canyon Project cost around $165 million, which included the Hoover Dam.

The Hoover Dam has 17 hydro electric generators, capable of generating 2,074MW, which is quite large. The cost of a hydroelectric dam will be dependent on the river it crosses, the storage lake (how big does it need to be, is it man made, or already present, etc.), and how big it will be (how much electricity can it generate), and a host of other factors. I know of a 45MW (enough to power a small town, say 20,000 people) that cost $7.3 million in the 1930's.

Eating healthy doesn't even compare to dam expensive.

ash8184

TRUE!!!

I did raw vegan for a week - to try it and as a detox - and spent $150 for ONE PERSON for the week. Granted, I shopped at Whole Foods and picked things I liked (lots of berries, which are expensive), but I know how you feel.

Do you have a local co-op where you could get fresh fruits & veggies? Here's one in Houston as an example: http://www.rawfullyorganic.com/. If not, frozen is your friend... and Costco has some great organic produce, and fish in bulk that you can portion out and freeze.

Good luck!

Akimajuktuq

While my food items do cost more (meat, eggs, veggies) I actually save 15-20% because I eat so much less than I used to. However, if I were eating high carb/low fat and needed to "fill up" with gigantic salads and snack all the time to fend off hunger, I would likely be spending MORE than before I changed my lifestyle.

TT64

I know how you feel! Grocery prices have risen so much over the past year, especially produce and fish. I just look through all the grocery flyers I get in the mail, and see who is having the best deals on the things I need, and if I have to, I go to 3 seperate stores (all within 3 miles of me) through the week and buy different items at different places.
I don't know where you live, but Aldis has good prices every week on wild salmon (frozen filets...very good), limited but good priced produce and chicken breasts.
There are always such good deals on chicken breasts (boneless), usually at $1.99 lb. Some say bone in chicken is cheaper, some is, but I find that the leanest cut (the breast) bought boneless is the best value. Thighs are full of inner meat fat that needs to be cut out, plus the skin and bone weight make them not really such a good deal after all. Legs are always cheap, if you like them, you can just take the skin off after cooking (if you do it before, the meat can dry out). Beans are very cheap, buy the dried variety and you can make a huge pot of bean soup (lentil, pea, navy) or multiple bean salad (which is so good as a summer lunch) for pennies on the dollar.

Coupons are always good, but you are right, junk food is always so much cheaper. So, I just cut corners on other things I buy at non grocery stores to help deflect the cost of high priced "healthy" grocery items.

MB_Positif

It really isn't once you adapt to it and start cutting out buying certain foods. For example. The average bag of chips is $3-4. A canteloupe is $2-3. If you cut up the canteloupe into 1 cup servings, you probably get the same number of servings as a bag of chips.

leonaedithlewis

I always have to remind myself that investing in my health is important when I wince at the receipt at checkout. Poor health is far more expensive in the long run and eating habits is one of the biggest contributors to poor health in the US today. Being fit and in good health is a treasure that many, many people would pay anything for.

2FatToRun

I am broke broke broke as well but I have enough food for 2 weeks at a time and I spent $150. I did not buy hardly any isle items only fresh/frozen fruits and veggies, and being solo I can make a dinners meat go into next days lunch so like chicken breast the night before is a nice chicken to go in whatever fresh salad I feel like making. I would suggest getting those weekly ads and if you can manage....try and catch the BOGO deals on things like frozen fish fillets and sales on chicken and so forth. Freezer bags are your friend! I have to freeze things in individual servings or 2 servings if I am too lazy to cook. I also had to buy some frozen TV dinners but I wont do that again it was just to get me started. Once you get the jist of it you will not have to buy the same thing every time you go out. I have bread and bagels frozen in freezer they were BOGO and thats is where they stay only takes 15 mins to thaw at room temp and I toast them anyways. I find a package of turkey bacon lasts me all month. Eating less pays off in the end but the getting started can really pinch ya in the pocket lol But it is all worth it

Oh yeah...I also plan on planting my own garden with a few basic veggies maybe even some fruit so that I will not only get exercise I will get fresh food.

ysienkiewicz

Shop around. Do you have a Trader Joe's around you? Their milk is way cheaper than the grocery store. Their cereals are cheaper too. Their snacks are healthier. I also have a Produce Junction near me that I shop at often for produce. I got a huge 5 lb bag of bananas for $2. 5 lb bag of baking potatoes were $1.50. I also bought apples, oranges, pineapple, salad and grapes. We stock up on frozen veggies when they go on sale as well. I think if you shop around and plan ahead, you will be ok. For instance, I have a rotisserie and will cook a whole Perdue Oven Stuffer Roaster. I can get an 8lb chicken for about $10 on sale. But I can get 3-4 meals for us out of that one chicken.

mmk137

http://paleoonabudget.com/

shows you can be healthy and do it cheap.

Healthy is NOT expensive.

jewels319

A lot of fresh food can be frozen....I try to balance out the grocery list by splitting the trips.....there are quite a few supermarkets here so if veggies are on sale I stock up, clean em and freeze em. Meats too. I freeze them in portions too. Now that its getting warmer my husband and I decided to grow some veggies.....we are doing green beans, big boy tomatoes, some cherry tomatoes and we love fresh basil. If you are fortunate to have a yard or some outdoor space I would recommend it. Vine ripe tomatoes can be upwards of 2.50 a pound. Locally right now they are 1.77. BBQ season has our local grocery having good sales on meats, chicken, ribs, chopmeat....1.77 a pound....they call it a lucky seven sale. Walmart does do price matching but they always take my flyers.

rduhlir

I feed myself and my husband and spend about $70-90 per week (and that is when I have to buy ALL the ingredients). You just have to learn to stretch everything. Tonight, I am making Eggplant Rollatini with garlic bread. Here is the break down:

1lb Eggplant: $1.75
Salt and Pepper: (freebee)
1 Cup Marinara sauce (I use store bought tonight): $1.00
1/2 cup part skim milk ricotta: $.75
1/2 cup parmesan cheese: $.75
1 large egg: $.29
1 clove garlic: $.10
1 cup part- skim mozzarella: $1.50
Garlic Bread (bought on clearance because of sell by date): $0.75 (serves 12)

This meal serves 4 (except bread) at $1.50 a serving. I am serving some simple frozen mixed veggies alongside that are $1.00 a bag, so total meal tonight will be $2.00 for both my husband and myself.

I found a huge help is buy week to week instead of trying to stock up for the month or something. You can do a wonderful meal for basically some pocket change, you just have to plan, plan, plan. I take one day a month and plan the entire menu for the following month. Then all I have to pick up on the side are the snack stuff I go through, which I buy for a month total and end up spending about $20 on to include veggies, cottage cheese, etc...

Also...if you don't have one yet I would get reward cards from your local grocery. Often times I can find a lot of what I need 10 for $10 which cuts my bill a lot.

angelcurry130

another way to save on the healthy eating is to start your own urban garden. it takes work, and patience, but if you consider that buying some potting soil and a small variety of seeds cost less than $30, your return for those vegetables is huge. and just think, your own "organic" veggies sans the pestisides and you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for them.

Alliwan

I've never been a couponer but I clipped coupons from the paper on friday.ive noticed the healthy stuff is never on sale the way the snacks and frozen foods are though

Coupons are best used by using them on HBA items (shampoo, conditioner, soap, toilet paper, etc) and then using what you'd nomally spend on that stuff for the fresh fruits and veggies and meat. You can get a lot of your HBA items for free or pennies each and use the money for mark down meat and fresh stuff. Farmer's markets are opening around the country now so you can go there to help stretch your fresh food dollar.

CLFrancois

I make a LOT of things from scratch. Today I am making bean patties. I will not pay $3 a patty at whole foods when I can buy the beans and ALL the other ingredients for $3 and it feeds my family!
I know it seems like it is more, but which is costlier- good food or healthcare bills?

2FatToRun

http://paleoonabudget.com/

shows you can be healthy and do it cheap.

Healthy is NOT expensive.

That was a link to someone who went on vacation and ate out breakfast lunch and dinner......is there one that actually supports your statement with a break down that is more realistic for ppl who arent on vacation but at home and have to cook? I agree it isnt expensive to eat healthy but it isnt as cheap as the junkie way I used to eat either lol I dont think the expense should be an issue/excuse when changing your lifestyle I am going without on alot of things atm to begin and maintain my journey. But I would love any info to save lol I will go without more exp things in order to be better on the inside because I know thats what matters.

raeraebeau

I wrote d a r n not damn

What I've been able to find for the Hoover Dam says ~$50 million in the 1930's, today that's roughly $690 million. The entire Boulder Canyon Project cost around $165 million, which included the Hoover Dam.

The Hoover Dam has 17 hydro electric generators, capable of generating 2,074MW, which is quite large. The cost of a hydroelectric dam will be dependent on the river it crosses, the storage lake (how big does it need to be, is it man made, or already present, etc.), and how big it will be (how much electricity can it generate), and a host of other factors. I know of a 45MW (enough to power a small town, say 20,000 people) that cost $7.3 million in the 1930's.

Eating healthy doesn't even compare to dam expensive.

lithezebra

I make a LOT of things from scratch. Today I am making bean patties. I will not pay $3 a patty at whole foods when I can buy the beans and ALL the other ingredients for $3 and it feeds my family!
I know it seems like it is more, but which is costlier- good food or healthcare bills?

I love bean patties - started making those when I had to give up wheat.

badtastebetty

I find healthy eating is LOADS cheaper! You just can't get tons of pre-made foods. Sick with basic veggies, meats, grains, beans and you won't see your grocery bill soar unless you need to stock up on basics.

Unknown

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iiiEllie

Here it is very expensive to eat healthy( Nova Scotia) $8 for a bag of milk , close to that for cheese. For three of us to eat for two weeks we are looking at about $150 to $170 a week I am really the only one who eats healthy here and I can be a bit of a food Nazi here because it is so expensive I try to make sure everyone is eating portion sizes and not sitting there eating the entire box of cereal all at once and also my hubbys side of the family has really bad food issues, most of them are obese and have health issues related to their diet and it will be over my dead body before I allow my daughter to be like that to, my moms side is the polar opposite where they will not eat most processed food and my mom will not eat sugar at all. I am trying to teach my daughter to be in the middle and it is such a fight. My hubby will eat out of boredom and will polish off entire box's or bags of food in a sitting.

You think NS is expensive, try coming over to PEI. Our prices are insane here. I'm astounded seeing what people pay for food, if anything cost close to what I see in this thread I'd spending half of what I do to feed two of us. Haha.

hdlb

Pasta and rice are not unhealthy.

A whole chicken is like, $3.

Pasta and sauce is maybe $5.

Whole chicken and rice is probably $3.10. I disagree with your hypothesis completely.

I wish I lived where you live! The cheapest whole chicken we can get where I live is at least $12.00. For a pack of 2 (1 doesn't feed the 5 of us, my toddlers eat like teenagers) its on average $17.00.

songbyrdsweet

I make a LOT of things from scratch. Today I am making bean patties. I will not pay $3 a patty at whole foods when I can buy the beans and ALL the other ingredients for $3 and it feeds my family!
I know it seems like it is more, but which is costlier- good food or healthcare bills?

I made bean fritters the other day...used half the cooked results of a bag of dry beans, two cups of flour, and some salsa and an egg...made 20 fritters! They were probably cents per fritter and my BF has been eating them for a couple days. Canned beans are WAY TOO expensive.

Hearts_2015

bump

FeeB08

Tell me about it! Went food shopping for my son, boyfriend and myself for the week today and spent double what I used to!!

GwynnAlcorn_wechanged

This is why poor people are usually the fat ones. Takes discipline to cut down on unimportant living expenses and buy healthy food, which is much more expensive (MUCH, MUCH MORE - if the farmers weren't subsidized) to grow, produce. Also, the cost if you are determined to eat healthy (and exercise) is a very good reason to grow your own. Even if you only have a patio, I grew tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., in pots on my sundeck.

Gwynn